Dr. Golnaz Golnaraghi (she/her) is an Iranian Canadian changemaker, speaker and author. She is founder of Accelerate Her Future, a leading career accelerator in Canada providing tailored programs by and for Black, Indigenous and racialized women pursuing careers in business and tech while developing networks of solidarity and action. She is also the founder of Divity Group, offering a human centered approach to facilitation and learning and development focused on equity and inclusion and leadership development. 

A TEDx and Walrus Talks speaker, Golnaz has published her work in books, journals and magazines. As a keynote speaker and facilitator, Golnaz has addressed audiences at organizations like Accenture, IGM Financial, Rogers Communications, Startup Canada and WSIB. 

Golnaz is honoured to have been named as a top 50 Changemaker by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business and a New Entrepreneur to Watch by Future of Good for advancing intersectional Gender Equity and a Coralus Venture as a Founder of Accelerate Her Future.

She was previously an associate faculty at Royal Roads University and a professor at Sheridan College with a focus on leadership development. She has also held marketing management positions at leading multinational consulting and professional services firms including KPMG. She completed her doctorate in 2015 with her thesis titled “Postcoloniality, Diversity Discourses and Corporate Canada: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Corporate Images of the ‘Immigrant’ at Work.” Her research interests include women of colour and career/leadership development, women of colour in the workplace, constructions of Muslim women, racialized immigrants and the labour market, and transformative learning. Golnaz has also co-authored a chapter on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in The Oxford Handbook of Diversity in Organizations.

A global citizen and teaching herself to cook beautiful Iranian cuisine, Golnaz has lived in three countries. She currently calls Toronto home.